Ontario tornado kills 2

The remains of fishing cabins at Lac Seul, Ontario after an EF-2 tornado Thursday.

Two men from Oklahoma fishing in Lac Seul, Ontario were killed late Thursday night and a third is missing after a tornado ripped through this remote fishing camp in northern Ontario. OPP have confirmed they pulled two men from the lake while the body of the third is still missing. Environment Canada said the twister struck after 8pm Thursday night, and have confirmed it was an EF-2 tornado capable of 200km plus winds. They were the first tornado deaths in Ontario since the Barrie storm of May 31, 1985. While weak tornadoes do occur on a regular basis, (every tornado is dangerous) an EF-2 is rare in Canada. The storm was part of a larger system that has a history of severe weather from Alberta eastward and will be pressing into eastern Ontario and the Montreal area today. Environment Canada and the National Weather Service have both indicated a slight risk of severe weather in our region today. Look for thunderstorms to develop anytime after noon and produce heavy rains and hail. Be vigilant today if you are outdoors and seek shelter at the first sign of storms. Remember that the conditions are right for intense thunderstorms and this system has a history of hail, flooding rains and the tornado.

About 80 tornadoes a year form in Canada, most in Ontario and Saskatchewan, however they can develop anywhere, and the rural farm area south and east of Montreal has a history of tornadoes. Just last week a funnel cloud was observed near Cornwall. Already this morning radar is showing storms developing in the upper Ottawa Valley and a Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been posted in and around Renfrew, Algonquin, Parry Sound and the Muskokas.